Mining machine having vertically adjustable chain cutter

ABSTRACT

A mineral mining machine for advancing a shortwall face has a vertically adjustable cutter head which supports an endless cutter chain carrying cutter tools arranged to excavate all the mineral from the face and which carries the drive motor for the cutter chain. A supporting guideway maybe rigidly mounted on the cutter member and arranged to be slidably engaged by slide members carried by the cutter chain.

United States Patent Oven et al.

[ MINING MACHINE HAVING VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE CHAIN CUTTER [72]Inventors: Terence Oven; Gordon Ernest Boast, both of Burton upon Trent,England a [73] Assignee: Coal Industry (Patents) Limited, London,

England [22] Filed: July 15, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 54,918

[52] US. Cl. ..,..299/43, 299/67 [51] Int; Cl. ..E2lc 25/56 [58] Fieldof Search ..'.299/3 1 32, 34, 43-47,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,314,722 4/1967 3,471,20! l0/l969 Small Webster "299/3 1 [451 Apr. 25, 1972 FOREIGN PATENTSOR'APPLICATIONS 692,884 6/1953 Great Britain ..299/45 PrimaryExaminer-Ernest R. Purser Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & MosherABSTRACT A mineral mining machine for advancing a shortwall face has avertically adjustable cutter head which supports an endless cutter chaincarrying cutter tools arranged to excavate all the mineral from the faceand which carries the drive motor forv v the cutter chain. A supportingguideway maybe rigidly mounted on the cutter member and arranged to beslidably engaged by slide members carried by the cutter chain.

8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures arr--- PATENTEDAPR 2 s 1912 SHEET 30F 7PATENTEDAPR 25 I972 3, 658,385 SHEET u 0F 7 32 34 III FIG-4.

This invention relates to mineral mining machines for advancingshortwall faces.

In particular, although not exclusively, the invention relates to amineral mining machine of the kind adapted to excavate all the mineralfrom the excavation to allow the machine to be advanced further into theexcavation.

One known such mining machine comprises a series of base units and aconveying track for cut mineral extending transversely of the baseunits. A guideway for an endless cutter chain is supported by the baseunits and comprises separate upper and lower runs each extending in theguideway parallel to the conveying track. The upper and lower runs ofthe guideway are independently movable vertically relative to theadjacent base units. The drive motor for the cutter chain is mounted ona base unit.

Such machines are relatively complicated and expensive.

An object of the present invention is to provide a relativelyinexpensive and simple machine which can operate at a shortwall face,such as a heading. 7

According to the invention a mineral mining machine comprises a basehaving a leading portion adjacent to floor level so as to form aconveying track for cut mineral extending lengthwise of the base, acutter member supported by the base for vertical movement as a wholerelative to the base,a guideway on the cutter member having upper andlower runs extending parallel to the conveying track, an endless cutterchain supported by the guideway, and a drive motor drivably connected tothe chain and mounted on the cutter member.

The cutter chain may carry loading flights adapted to cooperate with theconveying track.

Alternatively, the base may comprise a conveyor with its leading trackmounted at floor level.

Advantageously, a supporting guideway is rigidly mounted on the cuttermember and is adapted to be slidably engaged by slide members carried bythe cutter chain.

Preferably, the supporting guideway comprises first and secondsupporting guideway sections rigidly mounted on the cutter memberadjacent to the upper and lower runs, respectively, of the guideway, andthird and fourth supporting guideway sections rigidly mounted on thecutter member adjacent to the two ends, respectively, of the guideway.

By way of example only, three embodiments of a mineral mining machineadapted to excavate all the mineral from the excavation to allow themachine to be advanced further into the excavation will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawing'sin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a mining machineconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional end view of a slightly modified mining machine tothat in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional end view of a second embodiment of mining machine.

FIG. 4 is a part rear view of the machine shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan of a mining machine which is similar to thesecondembodirnent but has an alternative form of supporting guideway;

FIG. 6 is a rear view ofthe machine shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the machine shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a section along the line VIIIVIII in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a section along-the line IX-IX in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 10 is an incomplete section along the line X--X in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a mineral mining machine excavating mineral toadvance a shortwall face. The mining machine includes a base 2comprising a round-the-houses type conveyor 4 having an open-frontedleading track 6 mounted adjacent to floor level to facilitate easy entryof cut mineral into the path of conveyor flights 8 which are hauledalong by an endless chain 10 (only a part of which is shown in FIG. 1)driven by a motor 12. The rear track 14 of the conveyor 4 is raisedsufficiently to allow one end of a discharge conveyor 16 to bepositioned beneath.

Two support members 18 pivotally connected at 20 to the base 2 support arigid cutter member 21 comprising a guideway 22 having upper and lowerruns 24 and 25, respectively, and curved end portions (not shown).Pivotable movement of the member 18 allows vertical movement of themember 21 relative to the base and is controlled by two rams 28 which inturn are pivotally connected to the base 2 and the members 18. Guidemeans (not shown) for the members 18 are provided to prevent sidewaysmovement of the member Slidably supported by the guideway 22 is anendless mineral cutter chain 30 which carries a plurality of supportarms 31 having holders 32 for cutter tools 34 and which drivably engagesa sprocket (not shown) driven by a motor 37 mounted at one end of themember 21. The sprocket constitutes a part of the adjacent curvedportion of the guideway 22.

Two thrust pads 29 are secured around the guideway 22 so as to slidablyengage the support arms 31. In an alternative embodiment only one pad 29is secured around the guideway 22.

In operation, the cutter chain 30 is caused to slide around Ithe'guideway 22 so that the tools 34 cut mineral from the wholecross-sectional area of the face, the machine beingcontinuously'advanced by advancing rams (not shown) so that the tools 34are in constant engagement with the face. The rigid cutter member 21ensures that a constant thrust is applied to all-the cutter tools 34irrespective of their position on the guideway 22. Also the depth ofpenetration of the tool 34 is accurately controlled. Such an operationalprocedure enablesa high rate of face advance to be achieved. As themachine advances cut mineral is guided onto the leading track 6 andconveyed along the face to the conveyor 16.

As the shortwall advances it is possible to steer the machine bysuitable actuation of the rams 28 which angularly adjusts the member 21,about the horizontal pivot 20, and, thereby adjusts the cutting horizonsof the cutter tools 34.

The holders 32 are mounted on the arms 31 in such a manner that thecutting forces about the cutter chain 30 tend tobe balanced. Thisentails mounting holders for single tools in line with the chain andmounting holders for pairs of tools one on either. side of the chain atthe same distance from the chain.

As the cutting forces on the arms 31 will not always balance, as forexample when the machine cuts hard strata adjacent to a boundary of themineral seam, an additional supporting guideway 33 (see FIG. 2) isrigidly mounted on to the innermost side'of the member 21, the guideway33 being slidably engaged by slide members 35 carried on the arms 31. Inalternative embodiments the guideway 33 comprises sections which extendaround only the curved end portions of the member 21. A furthersupporting guideway similar to the guideway 33 may be provided on theoutermost side of the member 21. This guideway may be instead of, or inaddition to, the guideway 33.

To facilitate changing of the tools 34 it is possible by the ac tion ofthe advancing rams to withdraw the machine away from'the face. Also thecutter member. 21 may be telescopic to allow an operator to pass to theleading side of the member 21 and to facilitate re-tensioning of thechain 30 when the operator has completed his task.

FIG. 2 shows that the machine allows the roof adjacent to the cuttertools 32 to be supported by roof engaging beams 47, and because themachine is relatively narrow, props 39 can be set at a relatively smalldistance from the face, giving rise to a desirable small prop free frontdistance.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of mining machine which has asimilar rigid cutter member 21 to that of the first embodiment but inwhich the cut mineral is conveyed along the shortwall face by means ofloading flights 36 carried by the cutter chain 30. The flights 36associated with the lower run 25 are just clear of a ramp plate 38 sothat in operation, as the machine advances, cut mineral is guided upthe'plate 38 into the path of the flights 36 and is conveyed alongtowards the end of the face. Upon reaching the end of the face, the

flights 36 lift and guide the cut mineral around the end curved portionof the excavation until the flights 36 sequentially reach a position asindicated by the flight 36a in FIG. 4 when the cut mineral slides downan inclined chute 40 on to the discharge conveyor 16.

Plates 42 are provided to prevent cut mineral passing to the rear ofthemachine.

Referring now to H65. 5 to of the drawings which show a mineral miningmachine excavating mineral which is similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and4 but having an alternative form of supporting guideway. As previouslydescribed the machine includes a base 2 and a rigid cutter member 21supported by two support members 18 pivotally connected at 20 to thebase 2. Pivotal movement of the support members 18 is controlled by rams28 which in turn are pivotally connected to the base 2 and the supportmembers 18. The cutter member 21 includes the guideway 22 which hasupper and lower runs 24 and 25, respectively, and within which slidesthe endless mineral cutter chain 30 carrying the support arms 31 whichhave the holders 32 for the cutter tools 34. At the two ends of thecutter member 21 the chain 31 engages drive sprockets 50 driven byhydraulic motors 37.

As in the second embodiment mineral cut by the tools 34 is conveyedalong the shortwall face by means of loading flights or paddles 36carried by the cutter chain 30. The paddles 36 associated with the lowerrun lie just in front of the ramp plate 38 so that in operation as themachine advanced cut mineral is retained in the path of the paddles 36and is conveyed along towards the end of the face. Upon reaching the endof the face, the paddles 36 lift and guide the cut mineral around theend curved portion of the excavation and deliver it into a dischargeconveyor 16.

Secured to each support arm 31 is an outer slide member 51 and an innerslide member 52. Each of the slide members 51, 52 comprises a first part54 which slidably engages first and second supporting guideway section56, 58 secured adjacent to the upper and lower runs 24, 25, respectivelyof the guideway 22. Each of the outer slide members 51 also comprises asecond part 60 which slidably engages third and fourth supportingguideway sections 62, 64 secured adjacent to the two ends respectivelyof the cutter member 21 and arranged to support the arms 31 on the partsof the chain passing around the drive sprockets 50. The rear face ofeach of the inner slide members 52 is arranged to abut the leading facesof the sprockets 50 (as shown in FIG. 7) to ensure that a balancedforward thrust is applied to the support arms 31 as they pass around thesprockets 50. The slide members 51, 52 and the guideway sections 56, 5862 and 64 are constructed such that the support arms 31 are trapped tothe cutter member 21.

The ends of the first and second guideway sections 56, 58 overlap theends of the third and fourth guideway sections 62, 64 to ensure that thesupport arms 31 are supported and trapped throughout the length of thechain 30. The overlap of the guideway sections 56, 58 with the guidewaysection 64 is sufficient to allow for the telescopic movement of thecutter member 21. Such telescopic movement facilitates tensioning of thechain 30 and is controlled by a ram 65.

The third and fourth guideway sections62, 64 have slots 66 (see FIGS. 6and 10) through which small mineral carried by the chain 30 can pass.This prevents material accumulating in these guideway sections62, 64which would have eventually blocked the passage ofthe slide members 51.

Operation of the machine shown in FIGS. 5 to 10 is similar to thatdescribed earlier with reference to the other embodiments.

in further alternative embodiments of the invention for use inrelatively thick mineral seams the guideway 22 comprises more than twohorizontal runs. Alternatively, the cutter member 21 may be mounted soas to be capable of substantial vertical displacement.

In still further alternative embodiments, the machine comprises a curvedconveyor which enables the discharge conveyor 16 to be dispensed with.

Whatever the particular form of the machine described above, the machinehas the advantage that there is no need for haulage arrangements for acutter unit reciprocable along the face. This avoids the need also fortrailing electric cables or hydraulic hoses which are very difficult tohandle in the confined space available.

The machine is of small dimensions transverse of the face so that roofsupports can be set immediately behind it and yet relatively close tothe face. The machine is suitable for continuous advance by powered roofsupports, the advancing rams mentioned above could be the advancing ramsof such supports.

We claim:

1. A mineral mining machine comprising a base having a leading portionadjacent to floor level so as to form a conveying track for cut mineralextending lengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the basefor vertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, an endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, anda drive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising loading paddles securedto the cutter chain and adapted to cooperate with the conveying track.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a conveyor with itsleading track mounted at floor level.

4. A mineral mining machine comprising a base having a leading portionadjacent to floor level so as to form a conveying track for out mineralextending lengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the basefor vertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, an endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, adrive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember, a supporting guideway rigidly mounted on the cutter member, andslide members carried by the cutter chain and arranged to slidablyengage the supporting guideway.

5. A mineral mining machine comprising a base having a leading portionadjacent to floor level so as to form a conveying track for cut mineralextending lengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the basefor vertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, an endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, adrive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember, first and second supporting guideway sections rigidly mounted onthe cutter member adjacent to the upper and lower runs, respectively, ofthe guideway, third and fourth supporting guideway sections rigidlymounted on the cutter member adjacent to the two ends, respectively, ofthe guideway, and slide members carried by the cutter chain and arrangedto slidably engage the supporting guideway sections.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, in which the first and secondsupporting guideway sections are adapted to be slidably engaged by onepart of the slide members carried by the cutter chain and the third andfourth supporting guideway sections are adapted to beslidably engaged bya second part of the slide members.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, in which the first and secondsupporting guideway sections overlap the ends of the third and fourthsupporting guideway sections.

8. A mineral mining machine comprising a base having a leading portionadjacent to floor level so as to form a conveying track for cut mineralextending lengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the basefor vertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, and endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, adrive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember, a supporting guideway assembly rigidly mounted on the cuttermember, and slide members carried by the cutter chain and arranged toslidably engage, and to be trapped to, the supporting guideway assemblythroughout the whole path of travel of the cuttr chain.

1. A mineral mining machine comprising a base having a leading portionadjacent to floor level so as to form a conveying track for cut mineralextending lengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the basefor vertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, an endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, anda drive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising loading paddlessecured to the cutter chain and adapted to co-operate with the conveyingtrack.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a conveyor withits leading track mounted at floor level.
 4. A mineral mining machinecomprising a base having a leading portion adjacent to floor level so asto form a conveying track for cut mineral extending lengthwise of thebase, a cutter member supported by the base for vertical movement as awhole relative to the base, a guideway on the cutter member having upperand lower runs extending parallel to the conveying track, an endlesscutter chain supported by the guideway, a drive motor drivably connectedto the chain and mounted on the cutter member, a supporting guidewayrigidly mounted on the cutter member, and slide members carried by thecutter chain and arranged to slidably engage the supporting guideway. 5.A mineral mining machine comprising a base having a leading portionadjacent to floor level so as to form a conveying track for cut mineralextending lengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the basefor vertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, an endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, adrive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember, first and second supporting guideway sections rigidly mounted onthe cutter member adjacent to the upper and lower runs, respectively, ofthe guideway, third and fourth supporting guideway sections rigidlymounted on tHe cutter member adjacent to the two ends, respectively, ofthe guideway, and slide members carried by the cutter chain and arrangedto slidably engage the supporting guideway sections.
 6. A machine asclaimed in claim 5, in which the first and second supporting guidewaysections are adapted to be slidably engaged by one part of the slidemembers carried by the cutter chain and the third and fourth supportingguideway sections are adapted to be slidably engaged by a second part ofthe slide members.
 7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, in which thefirst and second supporting guideway sections overlap the ends of thethird and fourth supporting guideway sections.
 8. A mineral miningmachine comprising a base having a leading portion adjacent to floorlevel so as to form a conveying track for cut mineral extendinglengthwise of the base, a cutter member supported by the base forvertical movement as a whole relative to the base, a guideway on thecutter member having upper and lower runs extending parallel to theconveying track, and endless cutter chain supported by the guideway, adrive motor drivably connected to the chain and mounted on the cuttermember, a supporting guideway assembly rigidly mounted on the cuttermember, and slide members carried by the cutter chain and arranged toslidably engage, and to be trapped to, the supporting guideway assemblythroughout the whole path of travel of the cutter chain.